Please note: In this text, the term “dialect” is used to refer to regional indigenous languages, including Shimakutuba.
The Punitive “Dialect Tag” Given to Students Who Used “Dialect”
The Dialect Tag was a wooden (sometimes cardboard) plaque used mainly in Okinawa and the Amami Islands to enforce the use of Standard Japanese. Children who spoke their local language (“dialect”) instead of Standard Japanese were punished by being forced to wear this tag.
The shape and size of the tag varied. The inscriptions ranged from simple words such as “Dialect Tag” or “Standard Language” to explicit statements like “I used dialect.”
How the Dialect Tag Was Used in Schools
When a child spoke “dialect,” they were forced to hang the Dialect Tag around their neck as a form of public shaming before their classmates.
The only way to be freed from the tag was to catch another student speaking “dialect.” Once that happened, the tag would be passed on to the next “offender.” Until then, the student had to keep wearing it.
In some cases, additional punishments accompanied the tag—such as corporal punishment or lowered grades.
Why Were Dialect Tags Introduced?
Several motives lay behind the introduction and spread of the Dialect Tag. The three most significant are as follows:
Reason 1: Standard Language Policy Under National Unification After the Meiji Restoration
The primary force behind the introduction of the Dialect Tag was the modern “nation-state.”
Like many countries, modern Japan undertook various measures to foster a unified “national consciousness.” One of these was the establishment of a “national language.” Tokyo speech was designated as the model and imposed nationwide to cultivate unity and shared identity.
As part of this, schools in Okinawa enforced the use of Standard Japanese and discouraged the use of local languages.
Reason 2: Negative Perceptions and Discrimination Toward Dialects
After the 1879 “Ryukyu Disposition,” Okinawa was annexed as a prefecture. Some residents still hoped to restore the Ryukyu Kingdom with support from Qing China. The Meiji government itself once floated a proposal to divide the islands: the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands under Qing, and Okinawa and northward under Japan.
However, Japan’s victory in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) secured Taiwan and, with it, sovereignty over the islands north of Taiwan, including Okinawa. This shifted local perspectives: rather than rely on Qing, Okinawans increasingly resigned themselves to living under the Japanese government.
The belief grew that “to be treated equally with other prefectures, one must learn Standard Japanese.” This fostered active promotion of the standard language.
Assimilation as Escape from “Sotetsu Hell”
By the 1920s, following World War I, Okinawa experienced a severe economic crisis, known as “Sotetsu Hell.” Many were driven to emigrate overseas or seek work on the mainland. Those who migrated often faced harsh working conditions, low wages, and discrimination.
For many, the conclusion was that “to escape poverty and discrimination, Okinawans must abandon their backward culture and language and become ‘Japanese Yamato people.’”
Thus, assimilation was not only a government policy but also a self-imposed belief among Okinawans themselves, accelerating the abandonment of local languages.
Reason 3: Standard Language Promotion After the Ryukyu Disposition
After 1879, Okinawa saw efforts to assimilate daily life and even personal names to mainland Japanese norms. Practices such as banning bare feet, introducing cremation, and altering surnames gradually spread.
Yet despite schools using Japanese in teaching, achieving widespread use of Standard Japanese proved difficult.
When the Second Sino-Japanese War began in 1937, the government launched the “National Spiritual Mobilization Movement,” urging citizens to unite for the war effort under slogans like “Serve the Nation with Loyalty” and “Endurance and Perseverance.”
As part of this, Okinawa introduced a strict “Standard Language Enforcement Campaign” in 1939. So strict was this campaign that it came to be called the “Dialect Eradication Movement.”
“Dialect Is Shameful”
The use of the Dialect Tag continued even after World War II. For many, it instilled the idea that “dialect is shameful.”
Even today, some young people recall grandparents telling them, “Don’t use Okinawan—it’s an embarrassing language.”
The Military View: Dialect Speakers as Spies
During the Battle of Okinawa, the standard language policy grew even harsher, backed by military force. The Japanese army is said to have issued orders forbidding the use of anything but Standard Japanese:
“Regardless of whether soldier or civilian, the use of any language other than Standard Japanese is forbidden. Anyone conversing in Okinawan will be regarded as a spy and dealt with accordingly.”
This was not just rhetoric. Testimonies survive of people actually being executed by Japanese soldiers simply for speaking “dialect.”
For Okinawans, their mother tongue was thus stripped away.
Gradual Abolition and Decline of the Dialect Tag
The Dialect Tag did not vanish immediately after the war. Like its introduction, its decline came gradually, under overlapping influences.
Changing Social Conditions
Postwar recovery and the rise of mass media increased exposure to Standard Japanese, making the forced imposition of the dialect tag less necessary.
Changing Perspectives on Okinawan History and Culture
Later, shifts in cultural awareness also played a role. The establishment of “Shimakutuba Day” in 2006 reflects a growing recognition of Okinawa’s linguistic and cultural heritage. Today, the Dialect Tag is widely recognized as a symbol of repression.
Its history serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers of assimilation and linguistic oppression.
Lessons From the Past
As emphasized, the Dialect Tag system did not disappear immediately after the war; it persisted even under the U.S. occupation. This long endurance illustrates both the suppression of local language and its resilience as part of identity.
While the Dialect Tag contributed to the decline of Okinawan “dialects,” it also highlights how deeply language is tied to identity.
In a modern world that increasingly values diversity—including linguistic diversity—the history of the Dialect Tag challenges us to ask: What lessons can we learn, and how can we apply them?
It is my hope that this account offers a new perspective on language and helps build richer communication and mutual understanding.
References
Shiode, Hiroyuki (2025). The Ryukyu Disposition. Chuko Shinsho.
Hayashi, Hiroshi (2025). The Battle of Okinawa: Why 200,000 Lives Were Lost. Shueisha Shinsho.
Koseki, Yuichiro et al. (2020). “Formation of National Consciousness through National Language, Sports Festivals, and Songs.” Journal of the Faculty of Education, Chiba University 68, pp. 287–293.
Kondo, Kenichiro (2005). “The Reality of the Dialect Tag in Modern Okinawa: Forbidden Words.” Bulletin of the Faculty of Letters, Aichi Prefectural University (Japanese Literature), pp. 3–14.
Kondo, Kenichiro (2017). “The Spread and Unease of the Dialect Tag: Focusing on the 1915 ‘Response on How to Enforce Standard Language.’” Okinawa Culture Studies 44, pp. 35–76.
Saruta, Mihoko (2007). “The Reality of Standard Language Enforcement and People’s Awareness: Focusing on the Dialect Tag.” Okinawa Field Research 1, pp. 160–168.
Nakamine, Masamitsu (2015). “The Effect of the Dialect Tag in Okinawa: A Case Study in Kin Town, Kunigami District.” Life Guidance Studies 32, pp. 89–98.
